Controversial: Marvin Hagler has had his say on Bernard Hopkins (Picture: Getty)

‘Marvellous’ Marvin Hagler is one of the greatest middleweights ever and ruled the division between 1980 and 1987 before retiring after defeat to Sugar Ray Leonard, and in this exclusive interview with Metro, he talks about that Leonard fight, Bernard Hopkins and how he’s helping keep kids off the street.

You must be proud you fought in a great era?

‘The likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns were true champions. There were some incredible fights between us and I was happy to give them all an opportunity to fight me.’

‘Hands of Stone’ Duran took you the full 15 rounds 30 years ago. Can you remember it?

‘It seems like yesterday. He was a nasty fighter but very experienced. He’d been a great lightweight champion and moved up the ranks before fighting me. It was a hard battle. Strangely, I really enjoyed it. It was a real war and I learned a lot from that fight. ‘

Two years later you were in an even greater fight with Hearns.

‘You are talking about one of the best fights in history. Every time I watch it on tape I still get chills. Here was a guy who was convinced he could whoop me but I showed him he couldn’t. We were both champions and knew what it meant to want to keep a title. It was a tough fight and one I’m really glad is over!’

I still have you down as winning your final fight against Sugar Ray Leonard.

‘Well, that’s in the past. It’s done and overall I was happy with what I achieved. I tried my best to ensure I kept the respect for the middleweight division in the tradition of Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake La Motta. Right now, the division looks strong again, which is important for the sport.’

Bernard Hopkins became boxing’s oldest champion at 48 last week. Did this surprise you?

‘He was really my successor as the next great middleweight champion, although I don’t think he was as great as me. That’s a great achievement for Bernard but some guys don’t always know when to walk away. That happens to a lot of fighters.’

So, you think it sends out the wrong message?

‘For me, I believe George Foreman was a bad example because when he became world heavyweight champion again at 42 that made a lot of fighters think they could also carry on.’

A dangerous path to follow.

‘Yeah, fighting on can put you at risk of suffering brain damage and you start missing a lot of shots. You think you’re as fast as you were but all of a sudden you’re not and you can get hurt. Carrying on at his age is not for every boxer, although I still give Bernard a lot of credit.’

What are you working on right now?

‘Hopefully, more film work, but I’m also trying to give something back to boxing by working with disadvantaged kids as a Laureus ambassador. That’s my real passion and it’s good to see how sport can make lives better.’

Boxing teaches kids a lot then?

‘It can give them discipline, focus and keep them off the streets. It doesn’t mean to say everyone will turn into a pro fighter, but it’s a tool through which you learn respect and control.’

Marvin is a Member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a unique association of 46 sporting legends who act as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Laureus supports more than 140 community sports projects in 34 countries, raising £51.5m for schemes improving the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people – http://www.laureus.com